Groena Bandet FKT - Record hunt in the Arctic Circle
Many years ago, a Swedish brother and sister came up with the idea of offering a rough route for hiking enthusiasts and nailing a plaque with name, distance and time to the mountain station in Grövelsjön for each participant when they reach their destination.
A substantial registration fee must be paid for this and the tour must be transmitted using a satellite-enabled messenger. This is necessary for control and safety reasons and is not unusual. A fairly extensive set of rules determines what is allowed and what is not. Tents and mountain stations are permitted for overnight stays, but nothing more.
You can choose your own route, but it must not deviate from a defined corridor in the mountains. The entire route must be self-supported. Assistance from third parties is not permitted.
You can also do it in one piece!
The new plan of the ‘organisers’ was now to divide the entire route into three stages and thus enable hikers to work for the coveted trophy. This was probably also what my wife had in mind. As we spend every summer holiday in Sweden anyway, it would be relatively easy to squeeze in a week for around 400 kilometres.
So I went on a training run with this idea and as it happens, I came back with a new idea: I run the Groena Bandet as a FKT in one go and improve the current record of 21 days 7 hours 33 minutes to something under 21 days, hard enough. The family's enthusiasm was low, but my fire was burning brightly.
You can do something like this on your own or go on a trip with a really good friend. During a six-week solo expedition in Iceland in the 90s, I learnt early on how to be alone in extreme situations and how to solve problems. But this new adventure is almost too good to enjoy alone, so a few weeks later trail running icon Lord Jens Kramer from South Tyrol sent me a mysterious email.
Shortly afterwards we were on the phone and, there's no other way to put it, Jens was burning with enthusiasm. A few days later, the 2025 race plan was history for both of us and we started planning the major Gröna Bandet FKT project.
Almost eight months have passed since then, during which we built a storybook for material sponsors, meticulously planned and segmented the entire route using several outdoor route planners and various maps. Material lists were created and discarded, recreated and revised. Several books were literally dissected and important details noted down. The effort required to minimise errors, which could have disastrous consequences in practice, is enormous. There are still no sponsors for important parts of the equipment, such as textiles or electronics, and the running bckpack is still a question mark on the list of materials, at least for me.
A project like this quickly becomes very expensive - even if the backpack isn't that full in the end. Ultralight construction costs ...
Two runners and their coach
An FKT project over such a distance in the wilderness is a monstrous challenge, even for experienced trail runners. So we decided to proceed as professionally as possible during training and put the planning and control in the hands of a professional.
Susa Buckenlei
has been our coach since January 2025 and is an absolute stroke of luck for us. Susa is not only a qualified sports scientist and former professional triathlete, she also bears the highly esteemed nickname ‘Queen of Extreme’ after three (!) victories in a row at the Norsemen Extreme Triathlon in Norway. It goes without saying that this is not a ‘normal’ triathlon, but one from the series ‘You're not all in the cupboard!’
Susa also has a soft spot for the Nordic countries and tough challenges. So she didn't think twice and is now looking after us! The fine line between training progress and overtraining is quickly crossed, control is important.
The material - decisions with far-reaching consequences
The choice of running shoes was easy. Jens has been running very successfully in Joe Nimble running shoes for years, while I switched from a competitor to the brand at the beginning of the year and had already gained experience in the Trail Addict Pro-R beforehand.
But it's not quite that simple, because the running shoe has to withstand harsh mountain conditions, daily river crossings, mud and swamps while remaining runnable. We are currently gathering experience with the new model and are not missing out on any bad weather scenario in order to be prepared. Halfway through the route, we will swap our shoes for a new pair in the self-delivered ‘care pack’ at a mountain station. According to the rules, this is permitted, as is ‘topping up’ with new trekking food (Trek'n Eat), Running socks (Bauerfeind Sports) and also Dry Fuels and Spare Parts.
The river crossings in particular are an almost unpredictable factor that can dynamically change the situation considerably when it rains. At this point, the poles (Komperdell) become an essential safety element. If the water level rises too high, long detours to more manageable spots may be necessary.
An ultralight tent (brand still in progress) is planned as accommodation. However, it is permitted to use mountain stations as accommodation if they are on the route and free. Anyone who has travelled in the wilderness in bad weather knows what a blessing a simple hut can be!
Material-Empfehlung: Trailrunning-Schuhe
On the trail of the reindeer. In addition to reindeer, it is moose that characterise the fauna of Lapland. But wolves, bears and wolverines are also native to the forested parts of Lapland.